Offense takes hit with Cano, Granderson defections

December 09, 2013|Reuters

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MLB Team Report - New York Yankees - INSIDE PITCH

The New York Yankees' batting lineup took a huge hit Dec. 6 when All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano and outfielder Curtis Granderson took the money and ran to the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets, respectively.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman didn't wait long, however, to fill some of the void, signing 36-year-old outfielder Carlos Beltran to a three-year deal worth $45 million, according to reports, continuing a busy day of comings and goings for New York. The Yankees also re-signed right-handed pitcher Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal that will reportedly pay him $16 million, with another $500,000 available based on innings pitched.

The moves continued an offseason of wheeling and dealing for Cashman, who earlier in the offseason had signed catcher Brian McCann and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to contracts totaling a combined $238 million.

"I've been doing this a long time, and some years we're more active than other years," Cashman said after the press conference to officially introduce McCann. "This year we have to be active; we have a lot of needs to fill."

The biggest may be at second base with the departure of Cano, who hit .314 with 27 homers and 107 RBIs in 2013. But the Yankees never had a chance to retain their five-time All-Star second baseman, who negotiated a 10-year deal worth $240 million with the Mariners, the third-largest contract in baseball history. That was far beyond what the Yankees seemed willing to spend. They might have increased their reported offer of seven years, $175 million slightly, but going as far as the Mariners were willing to go seemed out of the question even for a team with a history of free spending.

But while the Yankees will need to fill the huge hole at second base, with recently signed Kelly Johnson likely to fill the bill, Granderson's departure to the Mets will hurt far less with the arrivals of Beltran and Ellsbury. After consecutive seasons with at least 40 home runs with the Yankees, Granderson was limited to 60 games in 2013 after breaking a forearm during spring training and then a finger during the season. For the year, he batted just .229 with seven home runs and 15 RBIs.

The 36-year-old Beltran is expected to split time between right field and designated hitter, joining an outfield that includes Ellsbury and returning outfielders Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki and Alfonso Soriano. Beltran batted .296 with 24 home runs and 84 RBIs in 145 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013. He played for five different teams in his 16-year career and has a lifetime .283 batting average with 358 home runs and 1,327 RBIs.

Re-signing the 38-year-old Kuroda will help a pitching staff that entered the offseason a huge question mark beyond CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova. Kuroda was the staff ace for the first half of the 2013 season but he was 0-6 with a 6.56 ERA in his final eight starts and finished 11-13 with a 3.31 ERA.

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MLB Team Report - New York Yankees - NOTES, QUOTES

2013: 85-77, third place in AL East

TEAM MVP: Robinson Cano had another MVP-caliber season both offensively and defensively, finishing the season over .300 (.314) for the seventh time -- with 27 homers and 107 RBIs -- despite a lineup without several regulars for much of the year. But now Cano, who left agent Scott Boras to retain Jay-Z's new agency as representation, reportedly signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Longtime ace CC Sabathia suffered through the worst season of his career following an elbow cleanup surgery last offseason, going 14-13 in 32 starts with a career-high 4.78 ERA, third-worst in the American League among qualifying starters, before missing his final start with a strained hamstring. "I just think it's a bad year," said Sabathia, who is signed through 2016. "I think I'll be back to myself. I know a lot of people have written me off and said I've thrown too many innings and whatever, but I'll still be here and still be accountable and still be the guy that signed up in 2009."

TOP PROSPECT: Replacing Pettitte and possibly Kuroda from the starting rotation -- and the team's goal of trimming the payroll below the $189 million luxury-tax threshold -- might hinge on 24-year-old righty Michael Pineda, who has missed the past two seasons rehabbing from shoulder surgery after he was acquired following his 2011 rookie season with Seattle. He was 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 10 starts at three minor league levels in 2013. "He could be real important," Joe Girardi said. "He's a kid that had some decent success in Seattle as a young pitcher. We feel that he's healthy now, that he's coming to spring training healthy and that he should be ready to go. He's going to have a pretty good opportunity. That's a decision that probably has to be made over the winter."